Kid-friendly Seattle sights and restaurants

Updated 2:57 pm, Friday, June 24, 2011

The Window on Washington Waters tank at the Seattle Aquarium is a popular attraction for kids of all ages. (Joshua Trujillo / Seattle P-I file)

The Window on Washington Waters tank at the Seattle Aquarium is a popular attraction for kids of all ages. (Joshua Trujillo / Seattle P-I file)

Kid-friendly Seattle sights and restaurants

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Seattle is a great city for families and kids, but all cities probably like to boast that. Well, maybe not. My in-laws live in Pennsburg, Penn., where there really is nothing to do unless you're 80 and like hanging out at Dunkin' Donuts.

But Seattle is a true playground, with an abundance of things to entertain young and old, from ogling meerkats and otters to riding ferries and canoes to exploring gorgeous beaches and parks.

Here's a three-day itinerary that will accommodate kids who think sight-seeing is for geezers and adults who think kid-friendly restaurants are dreadful -- all while squeezing a lot of fun out of Seattle.

These ideas also work well for enjoying the city on the cheap.

Day 1

Start at Pike Place Market, Seattle's iconic collection of flower, fish and produce stalls, where you can fuel up on some of the citys' best croissants at Le Panier. On top of watching buskers and fish throwers, your kids might like:

Sitting on Rachel the Pig, the Market's famous bronze sculpture that doubles as a life-size piggy bank.

Checking out "the gum wall," a brick wall of thousands of chewed-up and occasionally stringy gum wads. It's impressive in a bacterial, interactive-art kind of way, and you might score some parental points if your kids are into gross-out humor. Located outside the Market Theater in Post Alley.

Other good food options here include Pike Place Chowder and Crepe de France, where the peach crepes are luscious in the summer. Sound View Cafe and Lowell's Restaurants & Bar also offer sandwiches and seafood, but you'll be paying for the views rather than the so-so food.

One tip for parents of wee ones: Strollers are tough at the Market. The sidewalks and walkways are narrow and crowded.

When you're done with the Market, the Seattle Aquarium (1483 Alaskan Way) is across the street on the waterfront, where the exhibits are less impressive than those at the Monterey and Vancouver aquariums. But admission is lower here, at $19 for adults, and the otters are awfully cute.

A stroll south on the waterfront will indulge you with some touristy kitsch, but you'll be heading toward Seattle's main ferry terminal (801 Alaskan Way, Pier 52), where a relaxing ride to Bainbridge Island might sound inviting.

If you're not doing an Argosy cruise, this is a nice, affordable way to cruise Puget Sound. It's especially nice at sunset with some take-out from nearby Ivar's Acres of Clams (1001 Alaskan Way, Pier 54). The crossing is 35 minutes one-way and $6.90 round-trip for walk-ons.

On Bainbridge, a short walk takes you to a pleasant town center, where there's not a whole lot to see. But the town does have a Mora Iced Creamery shop (139 Madrone Lane), making it a worthy destination for scoops of lavender, cream coconut and other gourmet flavors.

Day 2

Start at Seattle Center, the city's premier public space, where there's a lot of stuff to do, some more fun than others. A quick breakdown:

Space Needle: The ride up is short, fast and expensive at $18 for adults ($11 for kids), but views are great on a sunny day. If you're feeling broke, a visit to Kerry Park (211 West Highland Drive), about a mile away, will give you a fantastic and similar hilltop view -- for free.

Pacific Science Center: Some of the exhibits are hokey and old (think fake-looking dinosaurs, small bug tanks), but kids like them enough. The one stand-out is the Tropical Butterfly House, a warm, 4,000-square-foot enclosure of hundreds of butterflies. $14 for adults, $9 for older kids (not including IMAX).

The Children's Museum: This is the kind of thing local parents do when it's rainy and cold out and your kid is under 4. If you tend to get antsy in other cities' kid museums -- wishing you were outside exploring instead of inside playing with squishy things -- it'll be no different here; $7.50 for general admission.

EMP Museum: For serious music history fans. Running through 2010 are Avatar: The Exhibition and Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses. Admission Adults $18, kids $12.

The International Fountain: The city's coolest water fountain is a great place for a picnic on a hot day. Pack a swimsuit if you're inclined to get wet.

Speaking of picnics, the Center's food court is pretty grim. Better picnic food can be found at nearby Metropolitan Market (100 Mercer St.) or Safeway (516 First Ave. W.).

You can also find good slices nearby at Pagliacci Pizza (550 Queen Anne Ave. N.) and yummy gyros at Athina Grill (528 Queen Anne Ave. N.). A short drive up Queen Anne hill will take you to the 5 Spot (1502 Queen Anne Ave. N.), which serves up solid American diner fare.

After lunch, the Olympic Sculpture Park (2901 Western Ave.) offers ample green grass for running around and chilling out, with spectacular views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

If it's low tide, a terrific place for tidepooling is a rocky beach south of Alki, where you can gaze at sea stars, anemones and hermit crabs. Most people call this beach Me-Kwa-Mooks Park (4503 Beach Dr. S.W.), but it's actually the beach below Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook. You can find an easy-to-navigate tide table here.

For dinner, Sunfish (2800 Alki Ave. S.W.), a small, casual eatery, has what many say is the best fish and chips in the city. You'll also find calamari and moist fish kabobs.

Day 3

Start at Woodland Park Zoo (5500 Phinney Ave. N.), where the meerkats, hippos and elephants will surely entertain the entire family ($17.50 for general high-season admission).

There's a food court in the zoo, but great burgers can be found nearby at Red Mill Burgers in Phinney Ridge (312 N. 67th St.), where the onion rings and milkshakes are worthy indulgences.

In the afternoon, if the weather is cooperating, get on the water for some upclose views of Seattle's sparkling lakes and shorelines. Some options for renting human-propelled boats:

Center for Wooden Boats (1010 Valley St.), a hands-on museum of historic boats in South Lake Union, has rentals for canoes, pedal boats, row boats and sail boats, which all offer a nice way to check out Seattle's iconic houseboats.

Agua Verde Cafe and Paddle Club (1303 NE Boat St.) in Portage Bay rents kayaks to take into bay and nearby Union Bay, Lake Union and Lake Washington. You can also glide around the marshy islands of the Washington Park Arboretum, a 230-acre botanical gem. Look for herons, beavers and ducks.

For dinner, a drive away from downtown Seattle and into the neighborhoods will yield some good restaurant options, where you can enjoy a nice meal and not suffer the stink-eye when your kids get rowdy. Some suggestions:

Chinook's (1900 W. Nickerson St.): A cavernous restaurant at Seattle's Fisherman's Terminal in Interbay, where the large seafood menu and waterfront setting are popular with locals and visitors.

Vios Cafe: Your kids can hang out in a small play area, while you enjoy souvlaki and moussaka and finish your wine. There are two locations: 903 19th Ave. E. on Capitol Hill; 650420th Ave. N.E. in Ravenna.

Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria: Gourmet wood-fired pizzas at three Seattle locations, of which the Wallingford one (4411 Stone Way N.) probably has the highest ratio of rugrats per tables.

Blue C Sushi: This conveyor-belt sushi house doesn't have the best raw fish in town, but it tolerates kids well and the atmosphere is fun. Of the restaurant's three Seattle locations, the University Village one (4601 26th Ave. NE) is kid-friendliest.

Magnolia Village Pub (3221 W. McGraw St.): When you're in dire need of a good burger and beer and some adult conversation, this casual pub delivers, in part because your kids can watch TV at your booth. Don't go during a big sports night, unless you want to watch a game. This is a nice place to combine with a trip to Discovery Park (3801 W. Government Way), a beautiful 534-acre park of dramatic sea cliffs, forest groves, meadows and sand dunes.